Endless Summer Watermelon Ride

Jeremy and I decided to join the 17th Annual Endless Summer Watermelon Ride that offered a 30 mile ride. We trained up for a solid month and a half and had no doubts about finishing the 30 miles. As you can see, some of us may have gone a little overboard with the tight bike shorts and sporty "wicking shirt". Have you heard of these things? They "wick" the sweat away from your body. Hmm.. Back to the shorts.. no, really.. onto something more pleasant.

We both ride standard mountain bikes, but aspire to something greater. It would seem we are both looking for ways to finance such a great expense. Do you know how much a street bike costs? wow.. Just to give you an idea... I was in a sporting goods store and found a rack of those nifty biking shirts. You know, the ones that make you look like Lance. I managed to find one that wasn't crazy with endorsements and looked like it would fit. As I pulled it off the rack, I happened to glance at the price tag. How does 80 bucks strike you for a shirt you wear while riding your bike?? Yeah, needless to say, I continue to sport the all-american cotton tshirt.

So, considering the cost of things, we've opted to ride high on our standard fare bicycles. Of course, we've upgraded here and there, but nothing too fancy. We've switched out the tires for something smoother; tires designed for street riding. I chose the standard 2 water bottles securely mounted to the bike. Jeremy chose the camel pack. That's not a nicotine death sentence; it's a backpack that holds water with a giant flexible straw. As to safety, we both wear helmets. I will say that I had to special order mine; the bike shop didn't carry any large enough to contain my large brain. We both also have nice 'computers' on our bike that tell us how fast we are going, how far we have travelled, how much time has elapsed, and where the closest Chick-fil-a is located. I made that last item up.

What was I saying? Oh, yeah, the Endless Summer Watermelon Ride. So, Jeremy and I show up. What a large gathering of bicycles! There were tons of people there. We started out and didn't look back. I will say that Jeremy set the pace and I tucked in behind him. Being the 30 mile ride (the shortest ride), we passed quite a few people. Come to think of it, we were passing people for the first 15 miles. When we reached the 15 mile mark, they had a rest area. A rest area? Yes, a rest area. Most surprising to me, though, was that everyone stopped. Jeremy and I couldn't understand, so we kept on riding. We don't need no stinkin' rest!

So, we ease up on the pace for about 1 mile, drink some water, eat a granola bar, and get serious again. By this time, we're convinced we're at the front of the pack. We didn't see anyone. We pound away a little more and find a few more riders to pass. At 18.2 miles, we pass two ladies keeping a good pace. Just as we tuck back in line in front of the two ladies, Jeremy's bike lets out a loud PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I knew immediately this wasn't good for us. We pull over, kindly smile at the ladies passing us now, and take a look at the situation. His front tire is flat. Flat. Now would be a good time to talk about what real bikers would do. A real biker would have a spare tube, tools, and air. This would make for a 5 minute change and we would quickly get back to business. That being said, we haven't hit the 'real biker' status yet. So, we wait patiently for a truck to come by and kindly return us to our car. End of story.

The moral of this story is this. I bought a spare tube, tools, and air. Now we wait for another official ride.

a coal miner's daughter...

i'm a big chicken!

How do you tell someone that you don't think what they're doing is right? Not just anyone, but someone you have come to know, someone you want so dearly to succeed in the abundant life that Christ has promised. What is it in us that makes us chicken? Why do we shy away from uttering the words that need to be said? "Is it my place?" "Will I drive them away?" "What if..." Are these really just excuses we make up in our minds?

I watch as this person lives life and drifts along without the desire for Christ that should match the proclamation and position they hold concerning God. Why is that? It seems there is always crisis, always occasion for distraction, and always something going on that doesn't evidence Christ or the pursuit of Christ.

I find myself chicken... afraid to say what my heart desires to say. I find myself on my knees praying for that yearning, that desire for Him for this person. My heart is heavy with the burden.

the profile report..

Our company put all of it's employees through a personality profile test. I am always amused by the results and even more amused by learning the profiles of others. Perhaps some of this will explain a lot of my actions and words. Here are the results from the test.

Description of Strengths:
Quality oriented, accurate, conscientious, very loyal, carefully persists to achieve results, likes to manage through a system, perfectionist, reserved, introspective, resists change at first, wants time to study the facts, normally does not make mistakes, dry sense of humor, often acts embarrassed over praise, can be very direct, itemizes, skillful with detail, wants accurate results.

Logic: Fact oriented.

Communication by Strengths:
You appreciate people who are candid, to the point, that give you time to gather information before making a decision.

More detail about my specific scores:
As a Structured person your focus is on being right and doing the right thing. You go by the book... YOUR book. Because you follow the established procedures, in a methodical way, you don't make many mistakes. Structured people are usually careful, accurate, precise, and would rather do the detail work themselves than delegate it to someone else who may or may not do it right. You're loyal to people, organizations and what you know to be right. Structured people are often the "glue" that holds things together.

You have the D trait above the line so you also focus on getting things done, in your Structured way. You appreciate it when people provide you with options and choices and then allow you to decide. You like a challenge and take pride in solving problems. You get involved, take charge and take action.

Pace above the line means timing, harmony and cooperation are important to you. People with the Paced trait appear calm, cool and controlled under pressure even though they might not feel that way on the inside. You're persistent and you approach things in a steady, easy-going and relaxed way. You hate it when people come to you with something at the last minute, especially when they could have come to you earlier and allowed you to work it into your schedule.

Looking specifically at your temperament, your Extroversion below the line makes you a private person. Do low E's like people? Of course, but you would rather interact with them in smaller groups. Private people are creative and introspective.

Working with Structured People:
- Be detailed with facts in writing.
- Explain WHY.
- Focus on doing the right thing.
- Support their methods.
- Talk about documented facts.
- Provide opportunity to ask questions and check the facts.
- Act organized and specific.

a taste for something new..

It's not very often that I am surprised by new selections at a restaurant. That is not the case with Bono's. Judy and I frequent the Bono's near our house. So much so, that the waitresses all know Micah and Katie and are always excited to see us. Under a recommendation, I found that they offer BBQ Cheese Fries topped with your choice of beef, pork, or turkey. Uh, hello!! Did you say cheese fries topped with meat?? All I can say is, yes, they are as good as they sound. Now, I know it may not be the healthiest thing on the menu, but what a treat!

All dressed up and no place to go...

Here is a great picture of Micah taken in May. He is sporting the 'I drive my mommy batty' onesie (pronounced ONE-Z for you single males), sandals, stylish sunglasses, toy, and a pretzel rod. These are the moments that you realize that your children are more like their mother than you thought.

Micah will be turning 2 on September 21. He continues to amaze us with his quick mind and unending desire to amuse us. Another thing we noticed is his ability to remember and recall things that have long-passed. He frequently refers to the toys given to him by the grandparents and remembers which one presented him with the gift.